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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446451">Awake, but Still Sleeping</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercey/pseuds/Mercey'>Mercey</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All For The Game - Nora Sakavic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aaron being an asshole, Andrew being Andrew, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Matricide, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Nicky being a guardian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:40:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,002</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446451</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercey/pseuds/Mercey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>ON HIATUS </p><p>When Aaron Minyard woke up, he was certain of three things:<br/>1. His mother was dead.<br/>2. His brother had killed her.<br/>3. His cousin was burning something downstairs.</p><p>Andrew Minyard worked in deals and bargains. Something for you, something for me, and so forth. Other people didn’t work this way (and he knew that) but other people hadn’t lived his life. Other people didn’t learn (very early on) that nothing is ever given for free. </p><p>Nicky Hemmick never used to swear this much. ‘Fucking fuck!’ he yelled, honking the horn of his lancer. There also hadn’t been this much fucking traffic in Germany.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aaron Minyard &amp; Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick &amp; Aaron Minyard, Nicky Hemmick &amp; Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Awake, but Still Sleeping</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to this mess of a fic that I'm going to be updating sporadically but hopefully frequently. It's kind of a follow-on from <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/20201515">a fic I wrote previously that focuses on Nicky</a> but both work just fine on their own.<br/>I've put the link there if you're curious!<br/>Not a lot happens in this first chapter but so much is going to happen in this fic. I'm giving myself a limit on chapter lengths so I can update more often without getting too drained so let's see how this goes!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Aaron Minyard woke up, he was certain of three things:</p>
<ol>
<li>His mother was dead.</li>
<li>His brother had killed her.</li>
<li>His cousin was burning something downstairs.</li>
</ol><p>With a grunt, he pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes as he rolled out of bed—something he was getting better at. His old mattress had been lumpy and creaky and the springs sometimes stabbed him when he lay in certain positions, but it had helped to motivate him in getting out of it every morning. </p><p>He blamed Nicky for ruining that when they’d moved it into his room. </p><p>
  <em> ‘Jesus, Aaron. You sleep on this thing?’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Yes?’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Not anymore, you don’t.’ </em>
</p><p>And he hadn’t left any room for argument. </p><p>Nicky was a mystery. He’d left home when he was seventeen to study abroad in Germany, then just… never came back. Aaron had been a little bitter about it, until he met Nicky’s boyfriend, Erik. Erik had let slip the reason for Nicky wanting to leave. The thought of “torture” and “conversion therapy,” when applied to his annoyingly sunny cousin, hurt Aaron’s head so he didn’t give it much. </p><p>He didn’t give a lot of things thought these days, just in case.</p><p>Downstairs, Nicky was frantically bustling around the kitchen, banging cupboards open and shut and swearing when Aaron’s quiet approach startled him. Aaron wondered how he hadn’t woken up Andrew yet.</p><p>‘What are you doing?’ Aaron asked.</p><p>Nicky smiled with obvious false cheer. ‘Happy birthday!’</p><p>Shit. It was his birthday. <em> Their </em> birthday. Nothing was just his anymore. Aaron had never been big on celebrating the day, mainly because his; <em> their </em>mom never— </p><p>No. He wouldn’t think about her.</p><p>‘That’s not an answer.’ Aaron scanned the kitchen counter, littered with egg shells and flour and cocoa powder. He was starting to put the pieces together.</p><p>‘Oh,’ Nicky said, ‘I’m baking a cake for tonight.’</p><p>‘And the smell is…?’</p><p>‘Toast,’ Nicky was quick to reassure him. ‘The cake should be fine, I just burned my toast.’</p><p>‘Right.’ Aaron’s fingers twitched and he quashed the restless feeling by reminding himself of the week before:</p><p>Cold bathroom tiles. </p><p>The stench of his own sweat and puke. </p><p>Tremors wracking his whole being. </p><p>His brother’s silent presence outside the locked door. </p><p>His brother handing him what was left of their mom’s prescription to flush down the toilet. </p><p>The look of satisfaction in his brother’s eyes. </p><p>Hesitantly, Aaron asked, ‘Is Andrew up?’ </p><p>‘I thought my ears were burning,’ came a voice from the stairs. Aaron turned around and was met with his own face. He was proud of himself when his stomach only did a little flip. Progress.</p><p>Nicky hesitated a few moments before apparently deciding: fuck it. ‘Happy birthday!’ </p><p>Andrew snorted and skirted around the counter to make himself a coffee. ‘Ah yes, happy abandonment day,’ he droned, toasting the heavens with an empty mug.</p><p>It was a talent, really, the way Andrew managed to speak to Aaron without ever actually letting him feel addressed. Aaron could only roll his eyes instead of flip his brother off. Retaliating would only encourage him.</p><p>Nicky winced. ‘Sorry. I wasn’t thinking about— I mean, I <em> was, </em>it was just—’</p><p>Aaron saved him from himself. ‘It’s fine, Nicky. Relax. You know what he’s like before his coffee,’ he told him, purposefully avoiding Andrew’s eye. </p><p>Two can play at that game, asshole.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Andrew Minyard worked in deals and bargains. Something for you, something for me, and so forth. Other people didn’t work this way (and he knew that) but other people hadn’t lived his life. Other people didn’t learn (very early on) that nothing is ever given for free. </p><p>He thought that if anyone could understand this, it would be his brother. Oh, how he hated to be wrong.</p><p>
  <em> ‘You know what he’s like before his coffee.’ </em>
</p><p>Like Aaron knew anything about him at all; DNA does not a brother make.</p><p>Andrew was in the school counselor's office for his weekly session with number ten. Counselor number ten. He knew her name was Ms. Yadav (because he couldn’t help remembering) but that didn’t mean he had to care.</p><p>‘So, Andrew. I see it’s your birthday today.’ And weren’t we off to a spectacular start. ‘Happy birthday. Do you have anything planned?’</p><p>Andrew picked at the stitching on his seat. He thought of the cake Nicky had promised them. It would probably be the only bearable thing about the day, but Andrew didn’t need it. </p><p>Nicky was infuriating. Neither Andrew nor Aaron needed someone to make them breakfast, or bid them goodnight, or remember their birthday. They’d both gotten by fine without any of that thus far. </p><p>Number ten cleared her throat. ‘Okay, I understand that this could be a difficult time. Given that it’s the first year celebrating without your mother…’ </p><p>Whatever interest Andrew had invested in the conversation promptly fizzled. Tilda had meant nothing to him. Aaron got that. Nicky was starting to get that. That was all that mattered. Number ten was not owed an explanation from him.</p><p>His last birthday had been spent with the Spears. He recalled the cupcakes he and Cass had made with the clarity his tediously perfect memory afforded him. Equally strong were the memories of Cass’ son’s hands on him later that night. </p><p>
  <em> ‘I’ve got something for you, AJ. I’ll make it extra special for you.’ </em>
</p><p>Hollowness crept through his veins.</p><p>Andrew knew this would happen, and oh, how he hated to be right. Right or wrong, it did nothing to change the fact that he hated a great many things.</p><p>Like when his past nightmares inconveniently resurfaced and made him feel weak. He wasn’t weak.</p><p>Standing abruptly, Andrew left Number ten’s office, ignoring her complaints and pathetic pleas for him to come back. He had more important things to do.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Nicky Hemmick never used to swear this much. ‘Fucking fuck!’ he yelled, honking the horn of his lancer. There also hadn’t been this much fucking traffic in Germany.</p><p>It wasn’t a common occurrence for Nicky to be late. He held down three jobs: in a restaurant, a service station, and a movie rental store and was considered a model employee by all of his supervisors. It was just that Nicky hadn’t been informed of this particular appointment.</p><p>At twelve o’clock, after putting the cake on the counter to cool and leaving for his shift at Sweeties, Nicky received a phone call from the twins’ school. </p><p>
  <em> ‘Good afternoon, Mr. Hemmick. I’m sorry to be calling you but we have to inform you that Andrew has left the school grounds.’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Again? What happened this time?’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘He is breaking a school rule for the fifth time this month. I really don’t want to say truancy here, Mr. Hemmick but—’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Why did he leave?’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘He left during his session with one of the new counselors. Ms. Yadav was very—’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Then he needs a different counselor. She’s not doing her job if she’s literally driving him from the—’ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ‘Mr. Hemmick, with all due respect—’ </em>
</p><p>It had gone back and forth like that for what felt like forever until Nicky—enraged—had hung up.</p><p>Andrew was more than capable of handling himself, but Nicky still felt unease settle in his gut. One of his co-workers, June, noticed almost immediately.</p><p>‘What’s troublin’ ya, Trouble?’</p><p>Nicky sighed. ‘Andrew ditched school.’</p><p>‘Again?’</p><p>‘Again.’</p><p>‘Damn. D’ya think he’s got an older sweetheart?’</p><p>‘Didn’t until you went and said it.’</p><p>June threw her head back and laughed. ‘Go call the brat. I’ve got it covered.’</p><p>Andrew had answered on the third ring with a very cryptic: “How fast can you get to Ryder Adrian’s Lexus dealership in Charleston?” Nicky had glanced at his watch, given Andrew an ETA and been hung up on before he could ask if Andrew was okay.</p><p>Thirty seconds later, Nicky got another call from the school. This time to tell him that Aaron had also vanished after going to the bathroom and never coming back.</p><p>Nicky asked June to cover for him and made the two hour drive to Charleston in one and a half.</p><p>Outside, Nicky was only momentarily distracted by the beautiful, sleek, black sports car parked in a spot that proudly proclaimed: SOLD. Inside, Andrew was scrawling a haphazard signature on a booklet of forms. Nicky’s heart jumped into his throat.</p><p>‘Andrew, what are you doing?’ he hissed, keeping his voice down so he didn’t draw attention to them; so they could make a quick getaway if necessary. ‘Stop that! Do you even know what you’re signing?’</p><p>Andrew favored him with a cool look. ‘I am not an invalid.’</p><p>‘Where’s Aaron?’ Nicky asked, looking around for his other cousin. ‘Did you bring him here with you?’ </p><p>‘What did I just say?’</p><p>Nicky’s frustration grew until he spotted Aaron sitting on the curb by the sports car outside. Nicky had walked straight past him. </p><p>He faced Andrew. ‘Spill.’ When he was met with silence, Nicky remembered that, while bluntness worked with Aaron, it was less likely to work on Andrew. </p><p>Sighing, Nicky crouched until he was lower than Andrew, giving him the vantage point; a technique he’d seen in a documentary about big cats. ‘I just want to understand. Why did I leave work to drive out all the way out here, Andrew?’ </p><p>‘I thought you would be glad, Nicky,’ Andrew said derisively. ‘You don’t have to drive that shitbox anymore. I’m being selfless.’</p><p>‘You’re not buying a car.’ Nicky said it like a question. ‘You don’t have any mon—’ <em> Oh, shit, </em>Nicky thought as he recalled Erik explaining that the twins would have access to what their mother had left them when they turned ‘—sixteen,’ Nicky finished his own thoughts aloud. Andrew tapped the side of his nose in a mocking gesture and Nicky swore. ‘That’s your college-fund, Andrew. You can’t just blow it on a car.’</p><p>‘Can, and am. See?’ Andrew held up the paperwork and Nicky resisted the urge to snatch it from him. </p><p>Ignoring the aches in his legs, Nicky remained crouched and adopted an imploring tone. ‘Andrew. I know college doesn’t seem important right now, but in the future—’</p><p>‘Oh, spare it,’ Aaron said from behind them. Nicky glanced over his shoulder and was met with his cousin’s customary scowl. ‘I already tried that. All I got was his usual emo bullshit.’ Aaron made his voice monotone. ‘“I don’t have a future.”’</p><p>‘Hey,’ Nicky said. ‘Go wait outside.’</p><p>Rolling his eyes, Aaron did as he was told, but when Nicky turned back to Andrew, he was at the counter handing over the forms. <em> Never one to pass up an opportunity, </em>Nicky thought bitterly, more angry with himself than he was with Andrew.</p><p>Nicky’s philosophy with the twins was that he wasn’t going to parent them. He knew he was a glorified stranger to Andrew and had been a name without a face to Aaron for years before taking them in. The two of them had already grown up too fast and were old enough to make their own decisions. If this was something Andrew needed to do, then Nicky would let him do it. </p><p>‘—now we just need a guardian to fill out a few things and then it’s sorted,’ the guy was saying.</p><p>Nicky raised a hand. ‘That’d be me,’ he said, braced for the usual judgmental once-over, but was blandly surprised when the guy just smiled and slid the paperwork over to him. </p><p>Running a hand through his hair, Nicky glanced down at Andrew. ‘Are you <em> sure?’ </em>he asked.</p><p>Andrew gazed evenly back at him so Nicky sighed, picked up a pen, and signed away his cousin’s college fund. His eyes flicked down to the bottom of the page and bulged when he saw the total cost. </p><p>‘Jesus, <em> fuck, </em>Andrew,’ he choked, but filled in the last couple of blanks, the pen trembling in his grip.</p><p>
  <em> Please, God, don’t let me regret this. </em>
</p><p>He drove Andrew's car home like he had soup on board and couldn't afford to spill a drop.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, that's that!<br/>Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, leave a kudos or a comment if you did!<br/>I'll post updates on <a href="https://m-ercey.tumblr.com/">my tumblr</a> so you can stay posted :)<br/>Thanks!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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